For the second consecutive month, Nikita Tryamkin has been named the KHL’s top defenceman.

It’s a bittersweet development for the Vancouver Canucks and their fans. In 36 games for Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, the towering 23-year-old has seven goals and 14 assists. His 21 points are tied for the sixth-most among KHL defencemen. His 83 hits are the fourth-most in the league. The way he’s been playing, it’s expected he’ll represent Russia at the upcoming Winter Olympics.

Tryamkin, of course, could’ve been playing for Vancouver this season. Now the only thing Canucks fans want to know is if he’ll ever be back.

“It’s up to him,” Canucks GM Jim Benning told The Athletic on Saturday. “He holds all the cards. He has to want to play here. He signed a three-year contract to play over there. This is the first year of that contract.”